Jessica Sasha Bright '09, known as Sasha to friends and family, passed away on Sept. 11, her father, Arthur Bright, wrote in an obituary for her on the Marlatt Funeral Home website.
Bright, who majored in psychology and minored in English with a concentration in creative writing, was born in Seattle and lived in Renton, Wash., according to her father's obituary.
Bright loved to write from childhood, her mother, Mildred Bright, said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
"She would get into the flow and wouldn't mind staying up until 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning, writing," Mildred Bright said.
In her last terms at Dartmouth, Bright was excited to enroll in the writing classes she had always wanted to take, according to Pam Misener, assistant dean of student life in the Office of Pluralism and Leadership.
"There were things about Dartmouth that Sasha loved, but she also loved being from the Pacific Northwest," Misener said. "Weather didn't faze her. She was up for any kind of weather, activity or circumstance."
Bright passionately loved music and played cello, bass and guitar, according to the obituary.
In high school, Bright enjoyed playing in a rock band, her mother said. She was also a section leader for the Dartmouth College Marching Band, where she played the snare drum, her father wrote.
After her graduation, Bright volunteered with the Experience Music Project, a Seattle museum dedicated to the appreciation and exploration of music, according to her mother. Bright spoke to visitors about instruments and sound labs.
"She was a very gentle and sensitive individual, kindhearted and very witty," Mildred Bright said. "She was never a mean-spirited person."
Though quiet, Bright had a "great sense of humor" and was "very fun," Misener said. She remembered Bright as "well-liked and respected" by those who knew her on campus.
"She had a great way of seeing the world in a very positive but interesting light, and I think that is very much why she was such an awesome musician and an awesome writer," she said. "She was a very determined person, really followed through on things, which I really appreciated."
Bright particularly loved the chilis at Murphy's, Misener recalled.
Bright struggled with personal turmoil about her identity, her mother said. Bright, who was transgendered, was transitioning from male to female while at Dartmouth.
Misener knew Bright through her residence on the gender-neutral program floor.
In 2007, Epsilon Kappa Theta sorority reexamined its definition of "woman" when a friend of Bright's, a sorority member, discussed the possibility of offering Bright a bid, The Dartmouth previously reported.
"I'd like to join a sorority," Bright told The Dartmouth at the time. "If I hadn't been born a boy, I would have joined."
Feelings of rejection in junior high and high school never truly left Bright, her mother said.
Bright graduated from Kentridge High School in 2005, and received an A.A. degree with high honors from Green River Community College the same year, according to the obituary.
Bright particularly loved the music of Jimi Hendrix, according to the obituary, and the Experience Music Project, where Bright volunteered, maintains several exhibits about Hendrix, according to its website.
Bright always had interesting stories to tell to cheer up friends and loved Japanese anime, friend Kaitlin Gallup 09 wrote on the funeral home's online guestbook.
"The world has lost an amazingly talented and unique individual," Gallup wrote.
